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The Other Half of the Rhythm Section
Continuing the thread of this post from last week, I present the question to you, dear Line Out reader: Who are the best bass players working today? Or your favorites from the past? Note: All references to Flea will be swiftly deleted. Just kidding….sorta.
I will always hold Steve Harris in high regard. Even if you don’t have an affinity for vintage British metal, one listen to Iron Maiden’s “Running Free” should convince you of his worth:
Naturally, in that same league, I must include former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. R.I.P.
Bernard Georges (middle, below) formerly of Throwing Muses and currently of 50 Ft Wave is a prime example of minimalist, tasteful players who speak volumes with their subtle approach:
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have No Means No’s Rob Wright and Minuteman Mike Watt , both revered for their dexterous, markedly more aggressive approach to the low end of the spectrum.
Aside from the admirable fact that she and bandmate/husband Rick Valentin run one the oldest operating podcasts on the net, I’ve always thought that Poster Children bassist Rose Marshack was a delightful spazz and an absolutely unimpeachable bassist.
This is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg; tell us who do you dig and why.
Comments
kim deal. she is a genius
oh for heaven's sake, suzi fucking quatro...
patricia morrison...and johnette napolitano, donna dresch.....the list goes on.
Adding to the list with a hearty "hell yeah" to Entwistle (The Who), Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes), Kim Deal (Pixies) Sting's inviolable work in the Police and McCartney's undeniable Beatles bassmanship...
Carol Kaye (everyone from the Beach Boys to Zappa to Henry Mancini and on and on) because you must give props to the female pioneer into the 1950s male-dominated world of session musicians and one of the most diverse and hardest working bassist EVER; Gail Ann Dorsey (most notable as Bowie's touring bassist for the last decade) is rock solid; Fred Thomas (James Brown's bassist for 30+ years) gave us a lot during his years with JB and is probably the most sampled bassist today beacuse of it; James Jamerson was the house bassist for Motown Records from 1959 to 1972 and that says it all; Charles Mingus; Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order) continues to crank his lead bass stylings; Rick Danko (The Band), RIP, had an incredible melodic sensibility and root sensitivity; Chris Squire (Yes) is indisputably prog rock's heavy metal shredder, no joke; few musics rely on bass as much as reggae does and Aston "Familyman" Barrett was the bubbling bassman for Bob Marley and has worked with almost every notable reggae artist there is; Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) gave us some of the best boogie-band swagger available in "Walk This Way"; John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is a penultimate musician and the bassist's bassist; Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic) - the bassist responsible for the wickedly relentless bass work of "Sex Machine" and "Super Bad" needs no further explanation. Les Claypool has to be mentioned just because he takes the concept of freak bass to different levels all the time.
The list goes on and on, but a special shoutout is necessary to anyone who deftly handles the bass seat in a solid hard-working power-trio.
Peter Hook is the first person that came into my head. That's my vote!
If you are to believe the mouth-breathing, ponytail-sporting, kilt-wearing, D&D afficianados in the Stranger's forums then there is only one bassist. He walks on salt-water. His voice calms crying babies. His fingers so versitile he can pick a lock with his pinky.
His name: Geddy Lee.
I have to second many of Rich_Creamery's choices: Bootsy, McCartney, Jamerson, Mingus, Squire, JP Jones. Spot-on.
Here are some more:
Larry Graham (Sly & the Family Stone) So goddamn FUNKY.
Holger Czukay (Can) Meister of minimalist-groove repetition.
Dave Allen (Gang of Four) Incredibly propulsive, oddly funky, and memorably tuneful.
Squarepusher (Squarepusher) The Jaco Pastorius of drum & bass.
Charlie Haden: Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry's bassist of choice. 'Nuff said.
how could i forget, billy talbot. i am so sorry, oh great and powerful mr. young.
I would have to say that my favorite bass players of late are Tonio Rubio (Serge Gainsbourg)and Mel Schacher(Grand Funk Railroad).
Oh, and Carol Kaye's work on David Axelrod's LPs. Phenomenal.
Say what you will about Rancid, but Matt Freeman is an absolute superstar on the bass guitar.
I second (or third) the Jamerson and Mingus choices. Mingus was quite the piano player too.
Dave Holland is also incredible.
There's a little-known bass player named Todd Sickafoose who is a wonderfully creative player. He's currently backing Ani DiFranco which doesn't excite me, but he also plays with some of the hardest hitting jazz/avant garde players around.
I've recently found some really tasty bits in Jeff Ament's playing. I've been pleasantly surprised.
I love these posts! Drummers, bassists.... what's next? I have opinions.
....oh, and Trevor Dunn. Listen to Dead Goons on the first Mr. Bungle album if you have doubts.
Geezer Butler
Ron Carter
OM/Sleep bassist Al Cisneros. The bass/drums duo OM is a mindblowingly addictive and trance-inducing offshoot of the stoner-metal band Sleep.
Roger Waters, in the early Floyd years, was 1/2 of the best rhythm section in psychedelia.
My favorites have tended to be lyrical players, but within the context of good songs. My faves:
Bruce Thomas (The Attractions)
Pete Donnelly (The Figgs)
Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, They Might be Giants, etc.)
Sting in the early Police Recordings
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Just to get these out of the way, here are some of the biggest bass playing names in rock history:
Paul McCartney
John Entwhistle
Sting
Brian Ritchie
Danny Oleson